A funny thing is happening while just about everyone awaits the improvement that will result in more playing time for Nuggets center JaVale McGee: Kosta Koufos is the Denver post player making the biggest push toward the 30-minute mark.

“I can’t deny I’m surprised,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of Koufos. “I thought we were going to get a good, 20-minute basketball player. But I think he’s moving into being better than that, more than that. Everybody’s talking about Wilson (Chandler) being back. The guy that’s causing me minutes problems is Kosta. He’s got to be on the court more than I thought.”

It’s a surprise, no doubt, but a pleasant one to all involved. The NBA has a way of typecasting players, branding them before that player has a real chance to show what he actually can be.

Koufos was falling into that category.

A promising big man out of Ohio State, Koufos rarely received playing time with the team that drafted him in 2008 (Utah) or with the team he was traded to (Minnesota).

That has changed in Denver.

The Nuggets acquired Koufos in the Carmelo Anthony trade and liked what they saw. Last season, the Nuggets showed faith in him by signing him to a three-year contract worth $9 million.

Koufos is flourishing this season. Going into Saturday night’s game against Sacramento, he was averaging career highs in points (8.1), rebounds (6.5), blocked shots (1.4) and minutes (23.3).

“I’m just playing within the system,” Koufos said. “Most important, the team is winning games. We’re playing well as a team right now. (I’m) very blessed and very fortunate to have that opportunity. Whatever time I’m given, I just want to play hard, but at the same time it’s more of the team playing well. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

Karl’s biggest satisfaction is that Koufos does what he’s asked to do — all the time. The icing is that he’s starting to do those fundamental things — spacing the court, playing below the defense, protecting the rim on defense — at increasingly higher levels.

“We wanted our big guys to, not block shots, but to protect the paint,” Karl said. “And he has become one of the top-five paint protectors in the NBA.

“I think he’s (like Memphis center) Marc Gasol. Marc Gasol protects the paint. Kosta Koufos, not as good as Marc, but he protects the paint.”

But here’s the kicker: Koufos is changing perceptions on what he is and can be. Karl acknowledged that he’s already adjusted his projection on Koufos’ potential.

“I think he very easily can become a 10 and 10 guy in this league if he plays 30 minutes,” Karl said. “And a 10 and 10 guy gets paid a lot of money in this league.

“Statistically, I think he’s probably already there if we would play him those minutes, if we pushed his minutes to 30.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.